The weekend of August 26-28 marked the first Comic Con in
Colorado Springs. Was it everything the nerd community expected?

As a member of said community, I can say this con was
certainly different than the bigger
cons in Denver. The venue was much smaller than other mainstays such as the Colorado Convention Center or the Sheraton downtown. But that
turned out to be a good thing.

Smaller: Sometimes,
It’s Better

The first Colorado Springs Comic Con took place at the
Mortgage Solutions Financial Expo Center off N. Nevada. Event organizers only
reserved half the center. This meant the vendor booths, concession area,
celebrity showroom, and the main panel room were all located on the same floor
in the same wing of the same windowless building.

“The con was smaller than the huge ones I'm used to, but I
was actually very impressed,” says Sarah Shoupe, known to Colorado’s cosplayers
as Cosplay Mama of Pink Unicorn Productions, a local events company. “For being
it's very first year, it had a lot to offer.”

By the end of the weekend, nearly 10,000 attendees made an appearance. A smaller venue with that volume of people kept the action fairly centralized. If
someone showed up in a crazy, gargantuan Minotaur cosplay? You’d catch them as
quickly as anyone waiting by the entrance. If a celebrity decided to stroll
through the convention? You were right there, possibly bumping elbows with
them.

In fact, I spotted several celebrity guests mingling with
the con’s visitors. Jason Mewes (Clerks, Clerks 2), Seth Gilliam (Walking
Dead), and Peter Dante (Grandma’s Boy) chatted with local artists and bought
art at the booths. Celebs joining the crowds at a
Comic Con isn't unheard of, but at the Colorado Springs Comic Con, the entire affair seemed…
natural. When someone recognized the celebrity, said celebrity was more than
happy to say hi. Like normal people do.

Celebrity guests included the cast members of the original Power Rangers TV show, The Walking Dead, and Sons of Anarchy; Ric Flair and
other professional wrestlers; and Kevin Smith’s View Askew duo Jason Mewes and
Brian O’Halloran (sorry, Kevin won't be showing up to Colorado until December, at an unrelated event).

Perhaps the most unexpected guest was Dr. Dina, an LA-based consultant best known for being Snoop Dogg’s cannabis liaison.
Throughout the Comic Con weekend, she acted as a ganja guide for the Hollywood
elite, making recommendations for Colorado’s various cannabis products, and
giving everyone sound advice on responsible use. “If you ever eat too many
edibles,” she says, “just drink a glass of whole milk. The fats will slow down
the high, so it lasts longer but it’s not too overwhelming or intense.”

Shane Smith, a regular convention goer, came to this year’s
Comic Con specifically to meet the the big-name guests. “I loved the con. It was amazing,” Smith says. “I would so go
again next year, because it’s fun to go out, enjoy what you love, and meet new
people as well as celebrities.”

Smith, like Shoupe, seemed just fine with the con’s size,
even though he’s also accustomed to larger events. “Everything starts out small
before they grow,” he says.

Smaller: More Personable

Comic Con originally started in the 1970s as a way for comic
book writers and artists to directly engage their fans. In recent times, that
tradition has been muffled under the din of professional cosplay, where
visitors dress like their favorite pop-culture characters and judge one another
based on the accuracy and ingenuity of their hand-made costumes.

At the Colorado Springs Comic Con, cosplay wasn’t as much of
a fixture as it tends to be at other cons. This one definitely had that
old-school feel. Of course, meeting writers and artists happens at every con, but at the CSCC,
you had a better opportunity to get to know
the writer or artist. At larger conventions, there’s usually mobs of people
descending on a particular comic book artist. At CSCC, even if an
artist was busy at the moment, you’d eventually get your chance.

Neal Adams, an award-winning artist for Archie, Superman, Batman, and the Green Arrow, was continually flocked by fans. Joe Rubenstein, who
illustrated the Wolverine and Gambit solo series, sketched commission
requests from the start of the con to the very last hour.

A boy browses through the works of award-winning artist Neal Adams @ CSCC 2016

The Colorado Springs Comic Con even had some world class talent raised right here in–you guessed it–Colorado Springs. Steven Seagle, who attended Coronado High
School, returned to his hometown for this event. He's one of the masterminds behind Ben 10, a $4.5-billion franchise which won Emmys on its path to become Cartoon
Network’s most successful show. But before his stint in LA, where he created Ben 10, he penned his first comic “Kafka” while studying at CU-Boulder with Daredevil
artist Stefano Gaudiano.

Steven Seagle @ CSCC 2016

And about Those
Cosplayers….

Just FYI, the Colorado Springs Comic Con had plenty of
cosplayers of all skill levels. That giant minotaur I mentioned earlier
actually did make an appearance last weekend. He was joined by an assortment of
other prominent pop culture characters, including Nick Fury, Blade, Shonuff
from 1985’s “The Last Dragon,” Poison Ivy, Batman, and–of course–Deadpool
and Harley Quinn.

Colorado Springs Comic Con apparently struck a hit before it
even started. They’ve already announced their return on the same dates next
year, and given this year’s success, the next one should be a blast, too.

The Giant Minotaur I was tellin' y'all about earlier! That was real. @ CSCC 2016